LAPD officers wounded in ambush, see video of the suspect

Two Los Angeles police detectives suffered minor wounds in an ambush shooting early Tuesday as they returned to their station, triggering a manhunt that shut down a large swath of the Mid-City area for most of the day.

By late Tuesday the gunman remained at large, after police had detained, then later cleared, at least 10 individuals for questioning throughout the day.

The gunman apparently sneaked up behind the two detectives as they were entering a gate at the Wilshire Division station around 4:30 a.m. and shot at them through the glass of their unmarked vehicle.

One officer suffered a graze wound in the hand while another was hurt in the head with broken glass, said LAPD Detective Gus Villanueva. Both were treated at a local hospital and released and then assisted the hunt for the attacker, he said.

"It's just a very bold attack on two officers," Villanueva said. "It's quite surprising. We don't know the motive. Everything is wide open right now in terms of why and who this person is. I haven't heard of an attack like this in 30 or 35 years."

"To attack police officers at a police station, that's unusual. They're very fortunate and the department is very fortunate that we didn't lose them."

One detective has 20 years on the job and the other is an 11-year veteran, according to LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith.

Later in the day, around 7:30 p.m. another LAPD officer was shot in South Los Angeles but the circumstances and the officer's condition weren't immediately available, said LAPD Officer Christopher No.

No said he did not believe the incident was related to the earlier shootings at officers because "it's quite a distance away."

After the morning shooting, the LAPD was placed on tactical alert, meaning officers were kept on duty at the ends of their shifts as the search proceeded. The citywide alert was later downgraded to a regional alert.

"Anybody who's willing to do this and take on two armed police officers outside of a police station is obviously a very dangerous person," Smith said. "We want to do everything we can to get this individual in custody so we can keep our community safe."The gunman was described only as a black male about 30 to 35 years old, with facial hair, wearing dark clothes and a baseball cap. With that vague description, the public called in many potential sightings, leading to the questioning of multiple individuals. None of them were ultimately believed to be the gunman, though two were arrested when it was determined they were wanted on unrelated warrants.

"We're all closed down, because nobody can come in," said Cindy Heng, the co-owner of a shop called Little Beijing, at 4727 Venice Blvd. "We're just here, so we spent the day cleaning. No customers came."

By early afternoon, police had compressed the search area to five square blocks. Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department K-9 unit went door to door on Lomita and Venice boulevards to search for the gunman and question residents, hoping for a clue to his whereabouts. Police choppers flew continuously overhead and members of the LAPD's elite Robbery and Homicide Division planned to canvass the area for witnesses and clues.

"We set up the perimeter right away, right after the shooting, so we feel confident (he will be caught)," said LAPD Sgt. Frank Preciado early in the day. "Typically a lot of suspects do bed themselves down. They look for a location to hide right away, as opposed to continuing in one particular direction for a long period of time."

Investigators also planned to look at surveillance video from homes and businesses in the area, Smith said.

The detectives, who are with an undercover burglary task force, were returning to the Wilshire Division station on Venice Boulevard at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday and were using a keycard to open the gate when they were attacked, police said.

"Suddenly someone from behind began shooting at their vehicle," Smith said.

The car was hit several times and the detectives fired back, but the man ran away, Smith said at a news conference.

Police from various agencies swarmed the area, locking in residents within the parameter that included Venice and Washington Boulevards.

Jesus Hernandez, 35, who lives on Lomita Street near Venice and Rimpau boulevards, said he heard about 10 gunshots in the morning, but said it's not unusual to hear gunfire in that area. He said it was upsetting that officers were being targeted.

"We feel pretty sad," he said. "We heard the officers were OK."

His daughter, Daisy Hernandez, 16, said she needed to get to a summer job at KFC in Malibu.

It was only her second day on the job, she said.

"I don't think missing the second day of work is good," she said. "I feel pretty bad."

The search comes about four months after much of Southern California law enforcement was put on edge by the ambush killings of officers by Christopher Dorner, the fired LAPD cop who vowed revenge on police. His rampage triggered security details for members of LAPD and a massive manhunt that ended with him committing suicide after a gunfight at a San Bernardino mountain cabin.

Tuesday's shooting also left some officers concerned about their personal safety.

Officer No said he's been shot at before in areas of the city where they "don't appreciate police officers."

"But to be shot at at a station is completely different, because you're pretty much at a safe house," No said. "It's something that's nerve-wracking for pretty much all the officers."

Staff Writer Susan Abram and the Associated Press contributed to this report.